


A Life As Bright As Your Eyes

by IvyKalina



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barista Eren Yeager, Basketball Player Eren Yeager, College Student Eren Yeager, Drinking, Excessive use of the word fuck, Fluff, I have no idea what I'm doing, Levi has a foul mouth, Levi is too hot to be true, M/M, Prostitute Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Prostitution, Slow Burn, Smoking, Smut, why so many AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:34:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29122743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyKalina/pseuds/IvyKalina
Summary: Levi Ackerman didn’t do regrets. That was just not him. But sometimes he asked himself which decisions led him to where he was today. It was never his plan to end up as a prostitute. It was even less his plan to be stuck in that shithole. But with no goals or other ambitions whatsoever, what was he supposed to do? He never thought he deserved anything better than this. That was until he met a certain bright eyed college student.
Relationships: Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer
Comments: 34
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there!  
> This is the first fanfiction I'm posting and English is not my first language so please go easy on me. This whole thing initially started as a joke and I never thought I would actually write it but here I am xD  
> I have no idea where I'm heading with this fic but I'll just go with the flow i guess?! And also add tags along the way.  
> Huge thanks to Slyst for beta reading this shit. Without you this would be a tragic mess. Now it's a tragic mess with less spelling and grammar mistakes xD I bow before you! You guys should definitely go check out her fanfictions!

The bathroom was filled with hot steam when he stepped out of the shower. Levi didn’t need to wipe down the fogged up mirror to know that his usually pale skin had a rosy red shade now caused by the water temperature and his intense scrubbing. He always took his time after each session at Trost to clean himself thoroughly from every last remnant of his work. But he always took especially long after his shift ended. The sting and burn of the hot water felt better on his skin than the mixture of sweat, saliva and other bodily fluids and the memories of the touches that still lingered. The last thing he needed was to take anything from this place with him back home. It had been a busy day. He’d been fully booked which wasn’t a rare incident by all means but those days were especially exhausting. However, these were also the days that brought the most money. Levi sighed when he slipped his sore arms into a black button down shirt. He cursed when his tight jeans got stuck on his still slightly damp legs causing him to almost trip.

When Levi finally stepped out from the back area of the brothel with his leather jacket under his arm, he was greeted by their barkeeper Mike in the front. Trost had everything a lonely heart could possibly wish for. Right after leaving the entrance area, you’d arrive at a spacious bar. There were several comfortable looking, dark red sitting booths which were just dimly lit. On one hand the lighting was used to create a certain atmosphere while also hiding the filthy condition the booths were in. Even though the whole building was cleaned thoroughly every day, there were still some stains you just couldn’t get rid of no matter how fiercely you scrubbed. Right next to the bar, in front of the booths and tables was a huge stage with two poles and a heavy, burgundy-red curtain that was currently closed. On the other side of the bar was an inconspicuous looking hallway which led to the back rooms of the brothel from which Levi just stepped out of. He gave Mike a nod. It was almost half past 4 in the morning and Trost was rather empty since it was a weekday. When he made his way to the exit he heard Hanji, their ‘receptionist’ yell after him:

“Good night Rivaille, get home safe!” 

They were way too loud and enthusiastic but at least they remembered to call him by his alias in public. He acknowledged them with a small wave without looking back. 

Out in the parking lot Levi went straight to his motorcycle. His black Yamaha R6 was the first thing he bought for himself with the money he earned at Trost. Even today he still thought that this bike was the only thing he would ever need. The only moments in which he felt truly free were when he sped through the streets of Shiganshina. The speed would empty his constantly busy mind. And that’s exactly what happened when he took off out of the parking lot, leaving Trost behind. 

About 15 minutes and at least three ignored red traffic lights later, Levi finally arrived in front of his apartment complex. He had just parked his motorcycle in the underground car park when he decided, that he didn’t want to go home just yet. So instead of taking the elevator up to his apartment, he zipped up his leather jacket and left the building through the front entrance. He lived in the not-so-bad area of Shiganshina that was full of restaurants and bars. One of those bars happened to be open 24/7 and was also quite close to his apartment. He’d been there a few times already after long shifts at Trost. All the times he frequented there it had always more or less been empty. But today was not his lucky day it seemed. When he entered “The Wall” he noticed there was one table occupied in the back of the room. Levi sat down at the bar with a sigh, ignoring the drunk college kids. 

“The usual, Levi?” Rico asked. She was a petite woman with short, platinum blonde hair and glasses. Her expression was almost as bored as Levi’s. She nearly always worked the night shifts at “The Wall” and Levi was glad that she wasn’t a chatty individual. So they could be called an acquaintance.

“Yeah, the usual. Thanks Rico,” he muttered. Levi tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to relax a bit but that wasn’t an easy task when a group of rowdy dipshits decided to challenge his patience. 

When Rico came back with his whiskey on the rocks he sighed for the nth time this evening. His arms and especially his back were sore and he smelled of cheap tabaco but he relaxed nonetheless as soon as he took the first sip of his drink. Levi kept his eyes closed as he tried to enjoy the quietness of the almost empty bar. But he was interrupted by the muttering of the teenagers behind him. Their whispering wasn’t as quiet as they thought it were in their drunken state. He was able to understand every word.

“Try and talk to him if you think he’s hot!”

“Yeah just go! You have nothing to lose!”

“B-but I don’t want to disturb him!”

“You fucking coward, just go!”

“Shut up, horseface!” 

He heard someone giggle.

“What are you afraid of?! He’s not gonna bite your head off.”

Was he sure about that?

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll go! Just stop shoving me!”

Levi braced himself. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was some pubescent kid.

Someone slipped in the barstool next to him and a sigh escaped his lips once more. He wasn’t in the mood for awkward flirting with awkward strangers followed by awkward silence as soon as the stranger learned that his foul mouth didn’t fit his pretty face at all. He wasn’t obliged to be polite outside of his job. He wasn’t being paid for being polite or nice as soon as he left Trost. Ready to tell them to fuck off, the words stuck in Levi’s throat. All air got knocked out of his lungs, leaving him with his mouth open but with no sound escaping. He stared into the most vibrant green eyes he’d ever seen in his entire life. Those pair of eyes belonged to a sheepish looking young man with a shy smile on his lips. A faint hint of colour graced his cheeks when he spoke:

“Hi…uhm. I saw that you were here alone, so I wondered if it would be okay to buy you a drink?” 

At the table not far behind them Levi could hear people snickering. The boy now blushed furiously at the sound of his friends laughing. He had to admit that he was in fact handsome. His eyes were mesmerizing, framed by long, thick, and dark eyelashes, his awkward shy smile revealed a row of shiny white teeth and his skin was sun kissed, nothing like Levi who was as pale as a living human being can possibly get. At Trost they liked to praise his skin as perfectly smooth and white as milk but in his opinion he just looked like he’d never seen the light of day. Levi noticed that he was still staring which only made the boy more nervous. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head waiting for an answer. The movement just dishevelled his hazel brown strands of hair even more, which still looked weirdly endearing. Levi considered the offer. The boy was handsome indeed but he also looked awfully young, hardly twenty, which was way too young for his taste. Also, he was dressed in the dark green college jacket of the Shiganshina Titans – most definitely too young. Moreover, one drink would end up in a second one, then in a third one and the boy would eventually want to get into his pants as compensation for the drinks he had paid. Levi wasn’t in the mood. His whole body, including his ass, was sore and after a shift at Trost the last thing he needed was some blushing brat who overestimated his own dick and stamina. 

“No, thanks,” he answered tersely. The boy looked like someone had just slapped him across the face but Levi couldn’t care less. He just threw his head back emptying his glass of the last drops of his whiskey, threw a few bills from his wallet on the counter and stood up without giving the brunette another glance.

When he grabbed his jacket the young man finally snapped out of his shock.

“Wai-,“ but Levi was already heading towards the exit. The last thing he heard when he left was the ringing laughter that came from the last occupied table in the bar.

~

Two weeks after that bar incident, Levi had almost completely forgotten those piercing green eyes. It was around 9pm and Levi had a 30 minute break between two clients which he spent with a glass of whiskey at the bar in the front of the brothel. He listened to a story Mike was telling him, something about how Erwin wanted to introduce a new show for the stage. But he wasn’t really listening. He was fucking tired and in desperate need of a cigarette. Contemplating if he had enough time to go to the lockers and get his cigarettes, his thoughts were interrupted when an unpleasantly loud group of young men entered the bar area. When Levi located the source of the annoying noise he immediately recognized the boy from “The Wall”. His hair still looked like a rat’s nest (in the most endearing way) and he was still wearing that obnoxious, dazzling smile of his. 

Just when Levi tried to slip out of the barstool and leave the front bar area to avoid an awkward run in he heard a “Hey you! Wait!” and he knew that the words were directed to him because he recognized that damn voice. 

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. He stopped and turned around with his usual bored expression. The boy was running towards him with a smile too bright and innocent for a place like this. A part of Levi questioned if the brunette might have entered the wrong establishment because he certainly didn’t look like he belonged here.

“Hey, I never thought I’d meet you again. Do you remember me? I’m Eren by the way,” he said with a small smile.

Levi had to crane his neck to look the boy in the face. Last time they both sat next to each other so he hadn’t noticed that the other man was actually more than a head taller than him. Annoying.

“Yeah, I do,” he answered in irritation but the brunette didn’t seem to notice.

“Wow cool. Uhm…” he scratched the back of his head again, apparently a nervous tick of his, “can I maybe buy you a drink this time?” Persistent. Which was also annoying. 

“My company isn’t free, Eren,” the dark haired man explained. The boy seemed to not quite understand that the raven wasn’t exactly a guest at Trost. At the sound of his name said by Levi’s deep and sultry voice Eren blushed slightly. He hadn’t even fully comprehended the words yet when Hanji appeared behind the bar. 

“Hey Rivaille, you’ve got five more minutes,” their stare moved between Levi and Eren. 

“Sorry, but my break is over, I have to get back to work.” He sounded indifferent and not apologetic at all.

At that moment the boy finally seemed to remember where he was, “You work here?” He sounded slightly confused.

“Yes.” Levi wasn’t a man of big words.

“…As a bartender?” he cautiously asked.

Levi crooked one eyebrow in a somewhat amused expression. “No.”

“Oh…” 

Yeah, oh indeed. “I have to go now, bye,” Levi answered, turned and walked away from him. This time Eren didn’t try to stop him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,  
> here is chapter 2. I'm so glad that you guys told me that you don't think blushing mess Eren is ooc xD 
> 
> Again thank you Slyst for dealing with my shit TT_TT
> 
> I drew something for this chapter and hope you like it. :3

Eren made his way back to the table where his friends sat. Connie, Jean and Reiner were more or less drunk by now, but they all had another drink in their hands already. It was the brunette’s 19th birthday and after two or three or maybe a dozen beers at Reiner’s place, the three idiots were determined to still go out. They even dragged Armin with them, who was apparently reconsidering his life choices in this very moment as asked himself what he did to deserve all this.

“Wasn’t that the short hottie from ‘The Wall’?” Jean asked when Eren arrived at their table.

The brunette just nodded absently.

“What’s the matter dude? Got dumped again?” horse-face teased.

Even though Eren didn’t answer, the frown on his face was enough for his friends to know that Jean was right. Why did he even bother to ask a second time anyway? If he got rejected the first time, what made him think it would work this time? The answer was that he didn’t think at all. Eren has always been a dive in head first kind of person so, when he saw the raven haired man – Rivaille – again, he just acted without second thought. He was just so, so handsome. And his voice…

“My my, stop whining, birthday boy. We’re here to celebrate remember?” Reiner said, “We finally decided on your birthday present!”

“Yeah, right! It’s finally time for your defloration!” Connie announces proudly, however, before he could continue, Eren slapped both his hands over his mouth.

“Would you please keep your voice down?!” he hissed while frantically checking their surroundings. Fortunately, no one seemed to have overheard their conversation.

“Not everybody in this damn building needs to know about…that, okay?!”

It wasn’t like he never had the opportunity to lose his virginity before. He was actually quite popular and had found himself on the receiving end of confessions more often than he dared to admit to his friends. But he was just not interested enough to actually pursue dating someone? Back in high school he went out a few times with a guy from his chemistry class but after only two dates Eren started to get bored. And back in middle school there was this one girl he already forgot the name of. Every now and then he went on a date but those people just couldn’t capture his attention for longer than a few hours. And sex was never very important to him anyway. Of course he was curious, but he wasn’t as crazy about it as his friends. But those exact friends hadn’t stopped pestering him about losing his virginity since the moment they found out.

“Eren is right. Maybe we should tone down our volume a little. We’re not alone here after all,” Armin tried to calm down the three culprits that dragged him here.

Connie managed to tackle Eren’s arms away and said: “Whatever, just choose someone! Anyone! Whoever you want, don’t worry we’ll pay tonight.”

He couldn’t hide his irritation anymore. This topic was getting out of hand, “Guys, seriously why do you have to make such a fuss about it?! I don’t mind so why should you?”

“Eren, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Once you’ve had it you’ll change your mind,” Jean says in a tone as if he just discovered the answers to all the secrets of the universe.

“Dude, sometimes I just don’t get what Mikasa sees in you. You’re such an idiot.”

“Shut the fuck up, Yeager. If you ever tell your sister where we went tonight I’m gonna end you.”

Eren seemed unimpressed by the threat. He wasn’t afraid of the horse-face and even if the idiot did actually try something dumb, his adoptive sister would kick his scrawny ass. It’d always been more than obvious who wore the pants in their relationship (and obviously horses didn’t wear pants.)

“Seriously now, can’t you guys just get me something normal? Like a voucher for the mall or something?” he tried again but it was futile.

“Spare us your whining. It’s already decided. No backing down now.”

Eren stared at his friends in disbelief. Reiner gave him an encouraging smile and Connie a thumbs up. Even Armin just shrugged and said apologetically: “Maybe you should really just get it over with. I mean I bet those three won’t leave before you received your birthday gift.”

“Not you too, Armin!”

“Just do it or we’re not leaving!” Jean repeated.

“Arrrggghhh, fine.”

Eren left their table again to…yeah to do what exactly? He had no idea how this whole procedure was supposed to work? Did he get like…a list to choose from? He felt uneasy at the thought of ordering a person as if they were objects and asking them to take his virginity on top of it. But they wouldn’t know that if he didn’t tell them, would they? He had no clue what to do so he just went back to the bar.

The tall, blond bartender looked at him with a small smile.

“Hey, would you like to order something? Another round for your friends maybe?”

“Uh no thanks…I just wanted to ask where I can…where I’m supposed to…you know….” Eren fidgeted with his hands and just couldn’t bring himself to say those words. How was he supposed to ask anyway? Was _prostitute_ even the political correct term? What the fuck was he doing?!

But Mike seemed to understand the blushing boy’s intentions. “Oh then you’re at the wrong address here man. Do you see that person at the front desk there next to the entrance area? The one with the glasses and ponytail? That’s Hanji, they work out the schedules here. Just go and ask them.”

Eren knew that the bartender tried to be helpful but ASK THEM WHAT EXACTLY? But he didn’t want to seem like an ungrateful ass so he just briefly answered: “Thanks, man,” and left with a small wave of his hand.

Hanji already saw him approaching and greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Hey there, what can I do for you?”

“Um hi…so…you see, it’s kinda my birthday today and my friends insisted on… on…well, as a birthday present they wanted to…uh…buy me a night here?” Eren prayed to every deity out there that Hanji would understand what he meant. There was no way that he would be able to formulate it any clearer than this.

“No worries, sweetheart. I got you covered. Your first time?” they asked with a sympathetic look on their face.

“Is it so obvious huh?” Eren returned, rubbing his neck sheepishly not sure if they meant his first time at all or just his first time in a brothel.

“Only a little. So, sweetie, would you like to have female or male company tonight?”

When they mentioned male company, Eren immediately remembered steely grey eyes with a faint hint of blue in them and the words the owner of those eyes had said to him.

_My company isn’t free._

He got rejected two times already but he really wanted to get to know this man. But would it be creepy of him to actually buy his time when the other man made blatantly clear that he had no interest in spending time with Eren whatsoever? But the brunette already kind of knew him so that would make the situation less awkward than with any other escort there, right?...Right? Whatever, he had nothing to lose anyway. (Except of his dignity that is.)

“Well, that man from before, the one you called at the bar, Rivaille was it? Could he- I mean is he…available?”

“Ah I see that you have exquisite taste. Rivaille is actually our most popular. But unfortunately, he is seeing his last client for today so that won’t work. But I can introduce you to our other staff. We have many lovely people here. You might like Thomas. He is really handsome. Or perhaps Hitch. She can do that crazy thing with her –“

They must have seen how his face fell at the news because they stopped talking.

“Hey hey there. No reason to pout.”

“Ah sorry, I’m sure that all your other staff is very nice as well but I just thought that I could maybe talk to Rivaille again,” he reassured them.

Hanji had a soft spot for blushing brats with bright, pleading eyes. This one was just too cute to say no to.

“You know what? Since it is your birthday I’m sure I can convince Rivaille to take one more client tonight. So head up, okay?”

Eren’s eyes widened in excitement. All of his embarrassment from before forgotten. “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble any of you guys.”

Hanji just waved their hand in front of their face. “Pff. No problem at all. Rivaille and I are like best friends! He would do me any favour I ask for.” They seemed quite convinced of their own words but Eren less so. But who was he to judge?

“Just take a look at this form and fill out the information about your preferences and I’ll talk to Rivaille.” They handed him a sheet of paper. “This column here, these are the things Rivaille is okay with. The acts listed in the right column are his hard limits though. These things are totally off the table. Not negotiable. If you don’t respect them you will be forcefully removed and you’ll also be banned from entering Trost again. Are we clear here?” All the previous playfulness in their voice were gone replaced by a dead serious tone. He could do nothing but nod at their stern expression.

“Great! Down here in the blank space you can write your preferences and your hard limits. Any wishes you have regarding Rivaille’s wardrobe, we have a lot of costumes to choose from, or toys, roleplay scenarios or even food you like to use. If we have it available we’ll make sure that you leave our establishment as satisfied as you could possibly be. If you understood everything that I just told you, I need you to sign on the bottom line as confirmation that you respect our staff’s limits. Same of course applies the other way around.”

They smiled at Eren again but the young man was just completely overwhelmed by all the information. Roleplay? Costumes? That was more than his mind could comprehend. He looked at the two columns on the paper. The okay-list was quite long. But half of the terms were completely foreign to Eren. He read _Spanking_ and _Bondage_ before he had to avert his eyes in embarrassment. He took a brief look at the hard limits column. He read _No Hickeys,_ _No Bloodplay, No Barebacking, No Fecalplay, No Choking/Breath Play,_ the list went on and Eren gulped. There were even less terms he recognized. This was going further than he intended to.

He looked at the paper for a few more moments before he took the pen that laid on the desk. He contemplated for a moment if he should put something down to seem less suspicious. He couldn’t think of anything in particular so he just wrote ‘ _Wear whatever you’re comfortable with’_ then signed the form. When he handed it back, both of Hanji’s eyebrows moved up.

“That’s your only preference and no hard limits?! Are you sure? You don’t need to be shy with me.”

Eren couldn’t look them in the eye when he nodded.

“Okay then, sweetie. If you say so. Then you’ll have to wait till Rivaille is ready for you. You can go back to your friends I’ll get you when he is ready.”

“Thanks.” His voice was barely audible.

~

John was his last scheduled client for the day. He was a regular, a short (not as short as Levi), man in his late forties who was married with children and grandchildren. However, he still came to visit him every other week. But Levi couldn’t care less as long as he paid. What his clients did in their private lives were nothing of his business. Levi stepped out of the steaming hot shower, glad that he could finally go home and relax.

Just as he started drying off his body with a towel, Hanji opened the door without knocking. But Levi couldn’t be bothered. He was used to them barging in without any respect for privacy. Besides, in his job you had to overcome your embarrassment over nudeness. He did so years ago.

“Hey Levi, there is new customer who booked another session with you.”

Levi grunted.

“My shift for today is over, Hanji. Tell the piece of shit to fuck off.”

“But Levi, Levi, Levi! He especially asked for you!!! He waited for an hour and it’s his birthday! I even offered him Thomas or Hitch but he insisted. Don’t let the cutie down, come on.”

Sometimes he really regretted telling them his real name. Not many people at Trost knew but in a weak moment of his, he told them as well. Worst decision ever.

“Too bad for him. You shouldn’t make promises that you can’t keep. That’s not my problem.”

“Levi! His BIRTHDAY! C’mon! I’ll get you that one special hand sanitizer you love so much!”

Levi gritted his teeth. He knew that they wouldn’t stop pestering until he gave in. And his sanitizer was about to get empty soon.

“Just this once, you shitty four eyes.”

“Love you too, my shortcake!!!”, they cooed, “Session in 15, room 104! I’ll leave the information form over here.”

They put a sheet of paper on the edge of the sink and left. Levi took another moment to compose himself. He tried to not feel disappointed. He really just wanted to go home, get some Chinese food from the restaurant next to his apartment and read a book. But that had to wait now. He slowly went over to the sink to look at the information sheet. What kind of weird and sick kinks could that new client have? If he had to put on a maid dress again, he would literally stab someone.

His thin eyebrows shot up in surprise. The sheet was almost empty.

‘ _Wear whatever you’re comfortable with’_

Was that a fucking joke? Levi pictured the client as an old sweaty pig, probably married, who was just too embarrassed to honestly list his sick fantasies. He would then ask for those extras when they were already at it. Annoying. He hated new clients.

He left his bathroom with his towel wrapped around his hips. He had left his everyday clothes in the bathroom. He would need to shower again after this session so no need to bring them with him now. When he entered the locker room it was empty but he could hear the shower in the bathroom next to his running. Marlowe must have finished as well. Levi went to his own locker and opened it. Despite all of the costumes Trost provided, he owned a few sets of rather tame and ordinary outfits as well, for the more vanilla people.

He grabbed a pair of black slacks and a white button down that was slightly too large for his frame. He didn’t even bother to grab any sort of undergarments. No need if they would come off anyway. Going commando would be faster. He left his shirt unbuttoned showing off his ripped chest and toned stomach.

The walk to room 104 was a short one. It just looked like any of the other rooms on this floor. The king sized bed was covered with countless pillows and burgundy red sheets. Wallpaper as well as the couch on the other side of the wall were red too. The floor, dresser, nightstands and coffee table were made of dark wood. If you didn’t look inside the drawers or the wardrobe which were filled with any kind of toy you could possibly imagine, the room would look just like an ordinary, tacky hotel suite.

After a last look into the wardrobe mirror he decided that he looked just fine. Levi sat down on the bed, leaned back on his hands and waited. He hoped that the Chinese restaurant would still be open when he got back. He was in the mood for Mapo Tofu with extra chili. Before he could further think about his food order the door opened.

Levi didn’t show any emotions when he looked at the nervous boy’s face, “Of course it’s you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is this man just absolute perfection?!
> 
> Fun fact that I forgot to mention last time:  
> I chose Trost as the name of the brothel cause it's German and means "comfort" or "consolation" and I thought it would be a good name for that kind of establishment.


	3. Chapter 3

_Levi didn’t show any emotions when he looked at the nervous boy’s face, “Of course it’s you.”_

At least the brat had the decency to look apologetic under his scrutinizing gaze. The door closed behind Eren and they were alone, but he didn’t make any attempts on moving towards the large bed Levi was currently sitting on. He didn’t even meet his eyes. Instead, he rather intently examined the wooden floor.

“You’ve got balls, brat. I’ll give you that. Actually buying my company after what I’ve told you.” His voice sounded amused which only made the boy blush and fidget even more.

“I’m sorry…I just thought…” yes what did he think?! He didn’t finish his sentence but he cautiously lifted his gaze to look the man in the face but his eyes got stuck at his naked ripped torso. “Oh wow…”, he whispered under his breath. Smooth Yeager, real smooth.

A low chuckle brought him back to reality. Levi opened his legs a little wider and tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes never leaving Eren. The movement caused the sleeve of his crisp white button down over his right shoulder to slip off, revealing a toned bicep. “Well, doesn’t matter now, does it? Your hour has started already. So tell me Eren,” his voice dropped an octave and he lowered his eyelids, almost completely covering the blueish grey of his pupils. He also slipped off the fabric on his other shoulder leaving him in all his shirtless perfection, “How do you want me?”

This man was dangerous. His voice saying Eren’s name was enough to render him speechless. And the boy knew that the image of his naked chest and sixpack would still haunt his dreams for nights to come. It took the brunette a moment to realize what had been said. Levi’s presence alone seemed to turn his brain to mush.

“Uhm… No- you’re wrong! I’m not- this is not…I think you misunderstand…” His face turned so red that Levi was actually worried that the boy would pop a blood vessel. But he was a professional. He knew how to handle people who visited brothels for the first time. It was his job to to help them get rid of their nervousness.

“Shy, aren’t you? How about you take a seat first, hmm?” Levi tapped the spot on the mattress next to him as he tried to coax the brunette over. He almost expected the boy to decline the offer considering how obviously uncomfortable he seemed to be in this situation. But the brunette awkwardly shuffled his way towards the bed and with an ungraceful motion he plopped onto the mattress. But, not without keeping a safe distance of at least a foot between their bodies. Levi frowned at the boy. This might be harder than he had expected.

“There’s nothing to feel ashamed about,” he reassured his constipated looking client. Levi cautiously touched the brunette’s shoulder and immediately felt how he went rigid under his fingers. But the shorter man didn’t pull his hand back, instead he started softly kneading the tensed muscle. After a few moments Eren seemed to relax, which only encouraged Levi to go further. Using the hand on the boy’s shoulder to steady himself, he elegantly turned his body and straddled the younger man with a swift motion. His button down still dangled around his elbows when he linked his arms behind Eren’s neck.

Now comfortably seated in his lap, faces only mere inches apart, Levi whispered seductively, “Tell me what I can do for you, Eren.”

From up close he could see that the brat’s eyes weren’t only veridian green but also had sprinkles of teal and Caribbean green in them. The most beautiful emerald would be no match to them. Those exact eyes widened comically, panicked by the sudden proximity. Levi would have laughed at his expression if it hadn’t been for Eren’s next move. The boy let out a high-pitched girly squeal and suddenly stood up, shoving Levi off his lap in the process.

Levi’s ass connected with the hard floor with a loud thud. “What the fuck?!”

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry. You scared me, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to push you. God, I’m so sorry!” He stammered. At least he looked genuinely apologetic when he moved to help Levi up, “I’m really sorry! I didn’t expect you to—“

“Didn’t expect me to what, brat?” Levi was about to lose his patience. What the heck was wrong with this dumb fuck?

“Didn’t expect you to be so close…”

Levi looked dumbfounded. What was he talking about? “Brat, you know what you’re paying for, right?! I don’t know what you’re thinking but if you’re not actually hiding a 2 feet long titan dick in those pants of yours, this whole ordeal won’t work without some touching.”

Eren wanted to die. He had never been so embarrassed before in his life. Usually, he wasn’t prone to blushing but this man in front of him was able to make him look like a ripe tomato and leave him with the IQ of a slice of ham. “That was what I tried to explain before… I think you misunderstood my intentions...I don’t want to sleep with you.” Seeing the incredulous look on Levi’s face he quickly added, “Not that you’re not hot, I mean you’re so good-looking and handsome so that’s not the point. It’s just that I—“

“Quit babbling, brat!” Eren shut his mouth immediately, “This is a brothel. You literally have to pay a small fortune for a session with me and you tell me you’re not here to fuck?!”

The brunette felt slightly bad when the man revealed that his time won’t be cheap on his friends, but the small moment of guilt disappeared as fast as it came up. They insisted after all.

“So what is it then that you’re here for? I can suck you if that’s it.”

Before Levi could even get on his knees Eren interfered.

“No, no, no. I don’t want anything like that! It’s just…can’t we just talk or something like that?”

The shorter man stared at him for a moment in disbelief. “You want to talk?!”

“…yeah?”

“I’m not a therapist. Talking isn’t exactly stated in my job description, brat.”

“No, yeah I know…” Eren made a frustrated sound and clutched his hands over his eyes, “Can you please button up your shirt? I can’t think properly!”

Levi was still stunned but he did as he was asked anyway. A small part of him was quite amused by his effect on the boy. “Done.”

He peeked through his fingers to check if it was safe to look now. Luckily it was. One more glimpse at those immaculate pecks or perfectly pink nipples and Eren would have fainted for sure. “Thanks.”

“So what is all this supposed to mean? If you only wanted to talk then you better look for a therapist. The budget should be similar.” Levi said dryly.

“But I wanted to talk to you,” he admitted, “See, it’s my birthday today and my friends insisted on buying me a night at Trost. At first I refused but then you said you worked here so I thought I could get to know you this way…”

Levi scoffed at the explanation, “You’re persistent, you know that?”

“Yeah, I’ve been told so.”

The man watched how Eren bashfully scratched the back of his head again when he started to realize something. His friends wanted to buy him a night at a brothel…does that mean?

“Oi brat, are you a virgin?”

There was the blush again. It seemed like the colour couldn’t stay away from his cheeks for long when the shorter man was around. For a moment he considered lying, for his dignity’s sake but he didn’t trust his ability to actually deceive the raven. So he gave simply a small nod. After seeing the boy all uncomfortable after that confession, Levi only sighed.

“Hey, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He sat back on the mattress and looked at the boy expectantly, “C’mon, sit down. I won’t try to jump you again, I swear.”

He felt the tension in his shoulders loosen at Levi’s promise as he sat back down next to the man. He did, however, maintain an arm’s length distance. For the next few minutes, neither of them said a word. Eren wanted to get to know this man but his mind was completely blank. What could he possibly ask that wouldn’t be too personal? Would he be offended if he asked a private question? The whole situation was so surreal to him that he seemed to have forgotten how to make conversation.

“So uh…it’s getting warmer outside huh?” The moment he spoke those words he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Was he really talking about the weather?! Levi apparently thought the same.

“Are you serious just now? You ask me about the weather? You have less than half an hour from your 45 minute session left and if you don’t want your friends to have a heart attack I wouldn’t recommend an extension. So better make it worth it,” he teased.

“Does that mean I can ask whatever I want?”

“Of course you can ask whatever you want,” but just when Eren’s eyes lit up he added, “Whether or not you get an answer is a different story.”

Eren’s eyebrows knitted together in a pensive look. “Do you often go to ‘The Wall’?”

“I go there every now and then after work.”

“Why didn’t you let me buy you a drink when we met there?”

Levi’s eyes left the invisible spot at then opposite wall to assess the boy next to him. “Pass. Next question.”

“Huh?! But why? It isn’t even a personal question?”

“Why do you even want to know anyway? It’s not like you could change it.”

“I’d just like to understand?! Is it because you think I’m annoying?”

“Don’t worry brat. You’re not more annoying than any other stranger to me.”

“We don’t necessarily need to stay strangers though,” the brunette whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” Levi wasn’t sure if he understood him right. He didn’t want to raise any hopes here just because he agreed on having a conversation. This was still just a job. He was still just doing what his client wanted him to. Just this time that client wanted him to put his mouth to another kind of work than he is usually used to.

“No nothing, uh…I just said that you should stop calling me brat! I’m not that much younger than you.”

The man scoffed and raised one of his perfectly thin eyebrows, “You’re flattering me brat, but I highly doubt that.”

Erens frown from before only deepened, “Why? How old are you exactly?”

“I’m turning 28 this year.”

The brunette definitely sounded surprised when he answered, “Oh wow, you certainly don’t look 28,” which made Levi huff.

“Thanks.”

“But still. You’re not THAT much older than me. I just turned 19.”

Even though the raven-haired man kept his bored facial expression, his eyes glinted with slight amusement, “Yeah exactly. Just like I said a brat.”

The fact that Eren pouted as response certainly didn’t make him seem any more mature. It was frustrating that Levi only saw him as an annoying child. So he really was just talking to him because it was his job.

“Stop sulking. Are you sure that you don’t want me to do anything for you?” he teased, partly to lighten the mood but also because he felt the tiniest bit of guilt. He was obviously taking advantage of the boy’s inexperience. Even though it wasn’t exactly his money that he was wasting it still didn’t sit quite right with him. But he had to admit that for once it was a nice change.

“U-uh…yeah, definitely sure!” There he was again, a stuttering mess.

Levi just laid back on the bed and crossed his arms behind his head. With closed eyes he uttered: “Calm down brat. I’m just teasing you.” Well, nobody could say that he hadn’t tried. It was the brat’s decision he could only do as much as offer.

After that the brunette remained silent but the older man could feel his scrutinizing gaze on his face. The quiet wasn’t an uncomfortable one so he let it slip. Eren was afraid to annoy him so he decided to just watch him instead. He didn’t expect to get exposed since Levi had his eyes closed. Once more he was reminded how stunningly attractive the raven-haired male was. His alabaster skin didn’t have any imperfections and his long black lashes drew shadows over his cheeks. Despite his strong jawline, his overall features seemed delicate, almost feminine. With his relaxed expression and closed eyes he looked even less like 27. Eren would have expected him to be only a few years older than himself, maybe 22, 24 tops. His mind went back to the naked skin he was blessed to see before and all the strong muscles. This man was painfully beautiful. He wondered why he worked at a place like this when he obviously disliked people in general.

Before Eren could even attempt to start another conversation they heard a low buzz from the door signaling that they had run out of time.

“Your time’s up, brat.” He stood up with one fluid motion and walked towards the door followed by a somewhat startled Eren.

“Oh…yeah okay.”

Levi eyed him warily. “Sorry that I disappointed you if you expected something else from this.”

“No, no, it was nice to get to know you a little, Rivaille.” What was he talking about? He barely knew his age, but he was genuine when he had said that he enjoyed the other one’s company, “Can I ask you one more question though?”

“Shoot.”

The boy didn’t dare to look him in the eye, staring at his own fidgeting hands instead, when he asked, “Would it be okay if I see you again?”

Levi arched his eyebrows in surprise. “Well, if you can afford it,” he said instinctively but regretted his words immediately when he saw Eren’s face fall. “But seriously brat. I don’t think that it would be a good idea. You’re too innocent for your own good and I’m not exactly what you’d call nice company.” The man wasn’t sure what he tried to achieve anyway. At this point the boy must have understood what his profession was. So what did he want if not a good lay?

Eren looked crestfallen but nodded anyway. “Okay…I better get going then... Goodbye Rivaille.” Without another glance he turned and left, leaving Levi behind with a bitter feeling.

Eren Yeager usually wasn’t someone to give up that easily. And that 5”2 tall walking perfection wouldn’t change that. When he thought back the shorter man didn’t blatantly say No anyway now did he?

~

A couple of hours later Levi finally opened the room to his apartment with a bag with takeout in his hand. His long-desired extra spicy Mapo Tofu was still steaming hot when he filled it from the paper box in a bowl. He was about to dig in when he felt something touch his ankle. Without even taking a look under the table he knew that it would be a small black ball of fur trying to get his attention. “Not now, Heichou. Dinner first,” he muttered towards his cat.

As promised, after he finished his food and washed his dishes, he picked up Heichou and moved to the couch in his spacious living room. He could finally relax a little by himself as he laid down with his cat comfortably resting on his stomach. But it seemed as though peace would continue to elude. His phone vibrated inside his back pocket. He grunted when he tried to get it without startling Heichou. The display showed that it was already after midnight. Which shitty fucker would call at such an ungodly time? A look at the caller ID certainly didn’t brighten his mood.

“What do you want, eyebrows?” he greeted Erwin.

“Is that how you talk to your boss?” That bastard dared to sound amused.

“If you only called to remind me that you’re the one who signs my pay checks, I’m gonna hang up.”

“No wait, Levi. You have a night shift tomorrow, don’t you? Please come see me in my office about 30 minutes before you start, okay?”

That couldn’t mean anything good. Erwin and him weren’t exactly on good terms anymore so when he demanded to see him it must be business related. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. Dealing with Commander Eyebrows wasn’t something he was looking forward to.

“Yeah fine. I’ll be there.”

“Great. Good night then, Levi.”

He just hung up without replying his boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys watch the latest AoT episode? This anime is literally killing me :')  
> I just want my babes to be happy but Isayama sensei....


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I forgot to post yesterday.   
> I totally forgot that it was sunday already (':

When Levi entered Trost the next day he wasn’t in a particularly good mood, so when Hanji approached him he told them as politely and as calmly as he could possible to get lost. Knowing better than to bother him when he is in such a mood, they decided to back off for now.

He went straight towards the empty bar. Mike must be in the basement or one of the storerooms in the back. But he couldn’t care less. His neighbours who lived above him just had a baby and that little dipshit started crying around 4 a.m. It seemed as nothing his incompetent parents did could calm it down so Levi was forced to end up sleepless. Way too often did his mind drift to his last client. That damn brat with his damn innocent, green eyes. He wondered why he was so persistent in getting to know Levi. Yeah, without being arrogant, he knew that he was considered good looking but was that alone worth the trouble of getting to know him? Especially because he wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around. And the boy also had the chance to sleep with him last night but he didn’t. Levi just couldn’t understand his motives. Every time he noticed his mind drifting to the brat, he scolded himself. What did he care why the brunette did what he did? It was none of his business, however sleep evaded him that night anyway.

That led him behind the bar. He needed a couple of shots before he could deal with Erwin or any clients of the night. There was no way he would make it through a discussion with his boss AND his shift sober. Hanji was eyeing him the whole time. He could literally feel their stare as he poured himself his second shot of Tequila, not his first choice but it would do.

“You’re drinking more, lately,” they said.

Levi glared at them, “So?”

“Nothing really, it was just an observation.” He said nothing and just poured himself another drink, “But maybe you should consider drinking less. For the sake of your health, shortcake.”

“Fuck off, Hanji.”

They were frowning but kept quiet otherwise. Good decision. It’s been a long time since Hanji had last seen Levi in such a bad mood.

Mike came back carrying two boxes. “Hey Levi, Erwin is waiting for you upstairs in his office.”

“God, I know.” Putting his glass down with so much force that it almost cracked, he shoved past the bartender and headed upstairs.

Levi took two stairs at a time on his way to Erwin’s office. He had no idea what eyebrows could possibly want from him. They don’t talk often anymore. It wasn’t like they’d had anything to say towards each other. Did clients complain about his performance?! He couldn’t recall any specific incident or anyone who wasn’t pleased with his work. So why in the ever loving fuck would eyebrows want to talk to him. He’d know soon anyway. Without knocking he opened the door and stepped inside the spacious office. Erwin was sitting at his desk looking at some papers.

“Sure, come inside, Levi.”

“Tch,” without answering him he went straight to a shelf next to Erwin’s desk. He grabbed the decanter there and poured himself a glass of honey coloured liquid. Maybe Hanji was right. He did drink a lot lately. But he sipped on his drink anyway. It wasn’t like he couldn’t stop if he wanted to. The scotch made the thought of the upcoming conversation, whatever it might be about, more bearable.

“Go on, help yourself,” the blonde said with his annoying fake smile on his lips.

Levi ignored him and just sat down in one of the armchairs in front of his boss. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about, eyebrows?”

Erwin finally put down his papers and walked around his table to lean against it directly in front of Levi. If he stretched out his leg a little more their ankles would touch. Blue eyes stared in grey ones.

“Hanji told me that you are working the next two weeks without a day off,” he started.

“So? What’s your point?”

The blonde eyed him for a moment before he said: “Next week is the 11th anniversary of your mother’s death, isn’t it?”

Ah, so this was what he was going on about. “I still don’t get what you’re trying to tell me. Do you really think I’d need you to remind me of that?”

“No, but I had wondered why you didn’t take that day off. If you don’t want to go alone, I can go with you to the cemetery and afterwards we could have dinner together. Catching up, for old time’s sake.”

“Let me stop you right there,” Levi interrupted him, “There’s nothing to catch up to. We only have a professional relationship nowadays and I have no intention of changing that.”

Erwin frowned at his words, his giant eyebrows almost touching. If the shorter man hadn’t been so annoyed by him he would find the look on the other’s face almost amusing.

“Levi, I’m offering you this as a friend and not as your boss or ex-lover.”

The raven snorted, “Then I politely turn down your offer as a friend. And I’m sorry to pop your bubble but we were barely fuckbuddies at best. To call us ex-lovers would be a long shot, wouldn’t it Erwin?”

“Lev-,” Erwin made a move to touch his cheek, but he smacked his hand away before he could touch his face. He hated it when the taller man still acted as they were close. That ended years ago.

“If that’s all I’ll leave. My shift starts soon and I still have to get changed.” The short man stood up and put his half empty glass on the desk on top of a stack of papers. He didn’t care if it stained any important forms.

“If you should happen to change your mind, you know where you can find me.”

Levi didn’t stop or look back when he reached for the doorknob. “I don’t think I will, boss,” he left. At least he would have time for a few cigarettes before he had to face his first client of the night.

~

When Eren blinked his eyes open, the sun shining through the shutters blinded him for a second while his head felt like someone had cracked it with a sledgehammer. A look at the alarm clock on his bedside table told him that it was already after 2 p.m.

“I swear, Eren. If you don’t pick up your phone in the next 2 seconds, I’m gonna chuck it out the window,” Connie’s pained voice threatened.

Eren rummaged through his sheets and cursed when he couldn’t find his phone before it stopped ringing. But when he finally found it, his mood dropped even more. Four missed calls and several messages from Mikasa. He was so screwed. Did Jean let anything slip when he got back home last night? Did that horse-face even make it back? After Eren came back to his friends, they were already pretty wasted and when they saw him they were even more determined to ‘party hard’. Reiner took it upon himself to challenge them all to drinking games. Eren didn’t mind as long as they didn’t ask any questions about his first time which never happened. He didn’t really remember how he and Connie got back to their shared dorm room. But he had the feeling that he had to thank Armin for that the next time he saw the blonde. But did Jean make it back to his and Mikasa’s apartment? Or was he somewhere half dead and mugged in some back alley?! His adoptive sister would be furious if he literally lost her boyfriend. He decided to call her back before she came over to kick down the door of their dorm room. She picked up after the first ring.

“Eren! Are you alright?!”

The brunette winced. Her loud voice felt like nails ramming into his skull. “Mikasa, please. Can you lower you voice?! It feels like my head is splitting in half.”

“Isn’t that your own fault?! Where have you guys been anyway?! Jean came back at 4 in the morning and he was completely wasted. Are you okay?”

“Yeah Mikasa, we just woke up.”

“No, I’m still sleeping!”, Connie grunted from his bed on the other end of the room.

“I hope you didn’t forget that we wanted to meet up at 3 today. Sasha is already here raiding our fridge.”

Fuck. He did forget. Somewhere in the back of his mind he barely remembered how Armin said something about meeting at Mikasa’s place to learn for their upcoming exams when he dropped them off yesterday.

“Yeah, no of course I didn’t forget. We’ll be there.”

“We’ll talk when you’re here. See you then.” She hung up without waiting for his answer.

Eren laid there for another 5 minutes hoping the throbbing in his head would get better. It didn’t.

“Get up, Connie. We gotta go.” His roommate didn’t move an inch. “C’mon Connie!” Was he dead now? The brunette grabbed the shirt he wore the day before from the floor next to his bed and threw it directly at Connie, hitting his face.

“No, you go. She is your sister,” he grumbled.

“But you also have exams coming up.”

“Do I look like I care?”

“…Sasha is already there.” Eren knew that Connie had taken the bait when he didn’t answer him for several moments. He was head over heels for that girl but just couldn’t muster up the courage to tell her or ask her out. The chance to see his crush won over his hangover.

“Fine, I’m coming.”

~

They were 20 minutes late anyway. Connie insisted on stopping at Dunkin’ Donuts before going to Mikasa and Jean’s apartment. But not for himself, no. He had gone out of his way to buy a box of 12 donuts just for Sasha who was currently flinging herself at him in gratitude. Apparently, she was the only one who couldn’t see the furious blush on Connie’s cheeks. They were a hopeless case.

Mikasa greeted him with a bone crushing hug. She always acted as if they hadn’t seen each other for years. “Are you okay? Does your head hurt bad?” She could be such a mother hen sometimes.

“Yeah yeah, I’m alright. Go fuss about your horse of a boyfriend.”

“You know I don’t like it when you call him that.”

“Then you shouldn’t have gotten yourself a horse as a boyfriend,” he said and pushed past her to get inside the apartment. Ymir, Historia, Armin and a pained looking Jean were already sitting around the coffee table in the living room.

“Bertholdt called a little while ago saying he and Reiner won’t be joining today. Apparently, Reiner is too hungover to get out of bed,” Mikasa informed him when she, Connie, and Sasha joined the group in the living room.

“Hey Eren, you stud. Heard about what happened last night,” Ymir greeted him grinning and her words immediately caught Mikasa’s attention.

“What happened yesterday?” she asked with a worried voiced.

“Nothing! Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. We were just at Reiner’s place, chugging back some beers, you know?” She didn’t look at all convinced but she didn’t keep probing, “Let’s get started with studying, okay?” Eren nervously dug out his notepad and a pen. His friends eyed him suspiciously but didn’t comment on it.

“Yeah, let’s get started. Why don’t we begin with statistics?” Armin intervened.

Two hours later Eren felt like his brain had burnt out. When he went into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water he swore he saw his head smoking in the reflection of the fridge door. He hated math. When he turned around, Armin was walking into the kitchen.

“Hey Eren, how do you feel? You were pretty drunk last night when I dropped you off at the dorms.”

“Ah yeah, thanks for that by the way.”

Armin smiled at him, “You didn’t do it, did you?”

“Didn’t do what?!” He was a terrible liar and the blonde knew that.

“C’mon Eren. You can tell me. I’m not Jean or Reiner.”

The brunette remained silent for another moment. “Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t.”

“I figured. I’m sorry that we pressured you.”

“No Armin, it wasn’t your fault. It’s fine.”

“Then at least you got your date with the bar guy.”

Eren scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a date. But I’ll go back to see him again!”

“Wait, you want to go back to Trost?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a little slow and it will probably be the same for the next one, cause I feel like the story needs a little bit of context?! I hope you guys still liked it!   
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated! ^^ 
> 
> P.S.: Slyst started an awesome Ereri reincarnation AU fanfiction. It was a rollercoaster of emotions you have to check it out! I also drew some fanart for each chapter so if you want to see some spicy Levi and read fluffy/angsty Ereri, here is the link: 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/29567307/chapters/72667230
> 
> (I'm too dumb to know how to put the link into the title for example, so you could just click on "There are Bright Flowers in this World" and you would go straight to the story. I'm sorry ._.)


	5. Chapter 5

Visiting Rivaille again wasn’t as easy as Eren initially thought. Armin told him what they had to pay for 45 minutes of the raven’s time. Eren wasn’t a struggling college student since he had a basketball scholarship for Shinganshina University, but his friends paid more than one month worth of rent for his dorm room for one session with Rivaille. So, either he lived off cup noodles for the next couple of weeks (his coach would kick his ass) or he had to find a part time job. He could also ask his parents to raise his allowance, but his mother would want to know for sure why he needed more money. And what would he tell her then _? I’m kinda into this one guy that I can only see when I visit him at his job which happens to be in a brothel._ Most definitely not. So that’s how he found himself next to his blonde best friend dressed in a brown apron which said _Welcome to Lit-tea-rature_ in cursive golden letters with a matching brown cap that covered his wild mess of hair.

“I can’t believe that you’re actually doing this just to see this guy again. I even lied to my boss and told him you’d had previous work experience,” Armin said while shaking his head.

“Calm down. What can possibly go wrong? It’s just making coffee and tea and I don’t need to be Shakespeare to sell some books,” Eren answered him dismissively.

“But Eren, you don’t read! Like, at all!”

The brunette looked genuinely offended, “Now you’re just mean, Armin. I do read!”

“Manga and fanfiction don’t count, Eren.”

“Why don’t they? They’re literature…of some sort,” he tried to defend himself.

“I don’t deny that, but it doesn’t change the fact that you won’t be able to advise our customers.”

“Then how about you deal with the books and I cover the drinks? Don’t worry so much Armin, everything will be fine, you’ll see.”

Armin gave up. There was nothing he could’ve done anyway. Eren was already hired (he himself had recommended him to his manager) and the blonde was also partially happy that Eren found someone he was interested in, even if the circumstances were kind of odd. All that was left for him to do was to pray that his friend wouldn’t set the shop on fire.

Eren wasn’t really the type of person cut out for customer service but there was no other job available on such a short notice and it wasn’t like he had any prior working experience in anything to being with. So now he was stuck there with a fake smile plastered across his face while trying to explain to a lady why it wasn’t his fault that she burned her tongue on her coffee.

“Young man, you made my drink too hot, I demand a new one immediately.”

“Miss, I’m sorry that you burned yourself but I don’t see why it’s my fault? I can give you some cold milk to cool down your coffee. Or if the normal coffee is too hot, why don’t you order an iced coffee instead next time?”

“Ewww no, I only drink black coffee and I don’t want cold coffee.”

“Then why are you complaining about hot coffee? Just let it cool down a little?! It’s not like another coffee from the same machine would be any cooler?!”

“Excuse you but how are you talking to a customer? You burned me!”

“Actually, you burned yourself.”

“Who hired a such a rude boy without manners like you? I’d like to talk to your manager.”

Eren could feel a vein on his forehead pulsing. “Okay now listen here you old ha — ,” before he could lash out on her, Armin shove him to the side.

“I’ll take it from here. Why don’t you go dust off our store window display, Eren?” his smile was almost blinding and Eren was sure that this literal angel could handle that Karen. It would be better to not cause a scene in his first week anyway, so he complied leaving Armin alone with that old witch.

It was only his third day and he already had had enough of some customers. Of course, there were also really nice ones and he could eat cookies all day. But, sometimes he questioned humanity, especially when he met people like that lady who was still arguing with Armin. At some point he’d asked himself if all this trouble was even worth it but then he remembered silky black hair and sharp blueish grey eyes. Yes, this was definitely worth it. Another reason why he had asked his friend if his work was currently hiring was because Lit-tea-rature was located only a few streets away from The Wall and he remembered Rivaille telling him that he went there sometimes after work. So Eren had the hope that the man might live somewhere around this area and just maybe he would run into him some time. He had even wondered himself why he was so invested in a virtual stranger but, he couldn’t explain it. Rivaille just had something about him that lured Eren in and it wasn’t just his looks. Well, not only his looks at least, even though he was undeniably beautiful. Everything about him was just captivating. Captivating enough to make Eren ignore any shitty customer.

~

Maybe Erwin was right, and he should’ve taken a day off. Working without a break for over a week had taken a toll on him and his mood. He was so fed up with his clients and playing nice that he almost snapped when a guy had manhandled him a little too roughly today. He was glad that he could currently bury his face in the soft pillows. If he were forced to look in the face of Jack, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to keep a neutral expression. So at least he only had to endure his panting breaths on his neck and his sweaty body above him while he pounded into him. His hands grabbed his hips like a vice and Levi knew for sure that they are going to leave ugly bruises on his pale skin. The raven grunted but not of pleasure but because of the sheer force of Jack’s thrusts. Levi fisted the white sheets hoping that the other man would finish soon.

“Arrgh R-Rivaille —” the man moaned right beside his ear. His movements became erratic until his hips stilled completely, and he collapsed on top of Levi with a sigh.

His sweaty chest against Levi’s damp back felt more than just slightly disgusting. So, the raven was relieved when Jack finally decided to roll off of him after several painfully sickening moments of proximity. Levi winced when his dick slipped out of him in the process.

“Ah Rivaille, was it as great for you as it was for me?” he chuckled after he had tossed away the used condom, now laying back in the bed with arms folded behind his head.

Levi turned his back towards his client so he couldn’t see him rolling his eyes. “Yeah sure, Jack.”

“You’re really pretty, you know? Maybe some time we could—” luckily the buzzer at the door went off in that exact moment, sparing him from any weird questions.

“Thanks Jack, but your time is up. You know your way out.”

The other man snorted. “Always so cold to me, Rivaille. I pay a lot of money to be with you. Shouldn’t you be a little nicer?”

Levi could feel how a cold finger ran down his spine, so he got out of the bed and wrapped himself in the black bathrobe hanging on a hook on the wall next to him, fleeing from the unwanted touch. “The time you paid for is over, Jack, so I have to ask you to leave now.”

“Your coldness just makes me want you more, you know?” he chuckled and put his clothes back on.

Levi held the door open, waiting for this nuisance of a man to finally leave.

“Goodnight Rivaille,” he whispered unnecessarily close to the raven’s lips, but he didn’t flinch back. Jack wouldn’t dare. Another arrogant grin later he was finally gone. Levi grabbed the skimpy black leather shorts he had been asked to wear for the session that now laid on the floor next to the bed. When he left the room, he shut the door a little bit louder than necessary.

~

One scorching hot shower later Levi found himself back at the bar with Mike. His shift was finally over, so he decided to have a drink before heading home. But before he could even reach for the bottle he was interrupted buy an way too familiar voice.

“Stop right there, my dear shortcake!” Hanji yelled.

He let out a loud sigh. “What is it now, shitty four eyes?”

“No way you’re drinking now. Not under my watch!” they proclaimed.

“And why do you think it would be any of your business?”

“Because I’m your friend and you took your bike to get here so don’t even think about drinking. I brought you something instead.”

Levi crooked one of his eyebrows, waiting for them to continue. The brunette pulled out a small tin box from behind their back.

“It’s tea! Some fancy Chinese Oolong. You like tea, don’t you?”

He did but he would prefer a glass of scotch instead. “Yeah, thanks I guess.”

“I’m gonna boil some water then,” Mike said.

Meanwhile Hanji sat down in the stool next to his. “So, tell me shortcake. How are you doing?”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. “How often do I have to tell you to stop calling me that.”

“Till the day I die, my shortcake.”

“Keep that up and that day will come sooner than you might’ve expected.”

“Oh wow someone snappy today,” she laughed, “But seriously, you’re so moody lately.”

“I’m always moody, shitty four eyes.”

“But it’s getting worse lately.” Hanji rested their chin on their hands. Their playful expression turned serious. “You’re isolating yourself. You don’t even join us for our monthly karaoke nights anymore.”

“Let me get one thing straight. I never joined voluntarily. You always dragged me there and I’m fine so stop nagging.”

“You should really get out a little. Your life only consists of work and your cat nowadays. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen you outside of Trost.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. I do go out.” For grocery shopping that is but Hanji didn’t need to know that. Because they were right. He had no social life whatsoever.

“You should live a little. Maybe consider dating.”

Levi let out a dry laugh. “You remember what I do for a living right? It’s not exactly a job suitable for relationships.”

“Then quit. I never understood why you’re working here in the first place. You hate it.” After that both were quiet for a while. This conversation turned way too serious in Levi’s opinion. Mike came back to give them both a cup of steaming hot Oolong tea but left immediately when he sensed the tense atmosphere between them.

“There is nothing else I could do,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

“That’s not—" they tried to say but were interrupted.

“Stop it Hanji.” He used their name instead of shitty four eyes, so they knew that Levi was serious about not wanting to talk about it. They’d had this conversation often enough. His head hung low so that his fringe covered his eyes making it impossible for Hanji to guess what he was thinking. But he looked incredibly sad, so much so that she could tell from just his hunched shoulders.

“Let’s go out some time at least, okay?” they said with a soft voice. When Levi looked into their eyes he could see genuine worry and he didn’t have the energy to deny them. They would pester him until he gave in anyway. They always did.

“Okay,” he said quietly.

A huge smile formed on Hanji’s lips. “Great! Let’s meet monday afternoon before your shift. I know this one cute bookshop not far from your place. They’re also a café and they have the best homemade éclairs you’ll ever try!” Their eyes were full of eagerness and all the previous tension seemed to have vanished.

“Hmm you just say that ‘cause you’ve never tried mine before,” he answered relieved that they moved away from the depressing topic.

Hanji blinked at him open mouthed for several seconds with a disbelieving expression plastered on their face. “How long have I known you now, Levi? It’s been over a decade and you’ve never told me that you bake, even worse you’ve never let me try any of your pastries…How could you? You know exactly how much of a sucker I am for sweets.”

Levi just shrugged. “If you have such a sweet tooth then you should learn how to bake yourself.”

“You know damn well that I’m as useless as a fish on dry land when it comes to anything kitchen related,” they cried out.

“Then ask your boyfriend. Why would I bother baking for you?”

“Moblit says I eat too unhealthily, he won’t bake for me. Please Levi!” Now they really looked like they were on the verge of tears.

“Well, that’s too bad.” He emptied his cup of tea and grabbed the tin box Hanji got him. “Thanks for the tea though, it’s not totally repulsive.”

“You’re so mean!”

“So I’ve been told,” he retorted as he made his way towards the exit.

“Hey! I’ll be picking you up monday around 2pm okay?” Hanji yelled after him. Levi waved a hand to show that he’d heard them. He could only hope that Hanji wouldn’t make him regret his decision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am literally so sorry that there is no interaction between Eren and Levi again ._.   
> But I promise there will be some next chapter D: 
> 
> P.S.: customer service can be the worst istg, I have so many stories of people with no manners or common sense whatsoever -.-
> 
> P.P.S.: Did you watch the new episode today? Mild spoiler: 
> 
> We finally got that Eren scene from the trailer =3= Even tho I hoper it would be a little longer lol


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, finally after two chapters of seperation our lovely boys meet again!!!

Monday came faster than Levi thought. He hadn’t seen Hanji the last few days since their schedules didn’t match or they had their day off, but the brunette confirmed their plans last night via text.

_Picking you up around 2pm tomorrow shortcake_

_Love ya_

He thought about throwing himself in front of a bus, but he was sure that Hanji would be able to find a way to haunt him even in his afterlife. They were harder to get rid of than herpes, but he still had several hours before he had to face his overly enthusiastic friend. It was currently only 7 in the morning and Levi was standing in the middle of an empty cemetery. The dull weather and the fog of the early morning hours created an eerie atmosphere around him but he didn’t mind. It was quiet and strangely peaceful. It had been 11 years now since his mother’s death and truth be told it had never gotten easier with time. He visited her grave a few times per year to just stare at it. It was just a plain, small, and unimpressive tombstone since they couldn’t afford anything else around the time Kuchel died, but Levi always kept it clean from dirt, dust or dead leaves. He didn’t bring flowers, nor did he say anything. He was just staring at the tombstone and wallowing in memories. It had never been easy, but his mother did everything she could to give him a happy childhood and he was thankful for that. She used to work at Trost back when Erwin’s uncle still owned it. When Kuchel couldn’t find a babysitter for little Levi, she would simply bring him with her to work. What other choice did she have? Levi didn’t blame her, but it couldn’t be healthy for a 6 year old to spend hour after hour at a shady, smoke filled bar trying his best to colour cats in his colouring book with only two different types of crayons while he had to witness how his mother took one stranger after another to the back of the building. He couldn’t possibly understand what she was doing back then but he definitely noticed that she went home with new bruises every night. She might not have been the best mother by definition, but she was all Levi had and when she died it was like his whole world had collapsed. He still missed her, but he didn’t feel the urge to cry anymore whenever he thought of her. Sometimes he wondered what she would think of him now and if she would be very disappointed. She would certainly pull at his cheek like she used to when he was younger and scold the shit out of him. She didn’t work her ass off to send him to school just for him to end up at Trost just like her.

Levi noticed someone coming towards the row of graves he was standing at. An old lady limped in his direction. She looked at him with a warm smile and when he was within hearing range she spoke, “Good morning, young man.”

He only gave her a nod in return, but she didn’t seem offended. Then again, a cemetery wasn’t exactly a good place to start small talk with strangers. After the lady had passed him, he took out a handkerchief from one of the inner chest pockets of his coat and brushed off the top of his mother’s grave. It would be another few weeks before he’d visit her again. “Goodbye mom.”

~

Usually, Levi would lock himself in his apartment after he had visited the cemetery, especially since it was the death date of his mother, but he had promised Hanji and he knew that they would break down his door if he even as much as thought about going back on that promise. So, he went for a short morning run, short as in about 8 miles but who was counting anyways.

After showering and getting dressed, he sat on his couch and waited for Hanji…waited…and waited. He should’ve known that they would be late. They always were. By the time he received a text from them saying ‘ _I’m here’_ it was already 2:27. Almost half an hour later than they said they would be there.

“Shitty four eyes, you said 2!” he scolded them.

“I know I’m sorry, I was –”

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear your dumb excuse. Let’s just get going.” He wanted to push past them, but they hooked on to his arm instead and pulled him down the street.

“I’m so glad that we’re doing this today. When was the last time we did something together, just the two of us, hm? We used to hang out all the time back in high school.”

“Maybe because you were less obnoxious back then,” Levi suggested.

“Or maybe you were less of a grumpy, old man back then.”

“Oi watch it, I can go back home any time.”

Hanji grabbed his arm even more forcefully. “You know I’m only joking. You’re lovely, shortcake, the embodiment of joy.”

“Tch,” he shook his head at her words. Both knew that joy would be probably one of the last words to describe him. Hanji weren’t actually that far off with grumpy, old man. “Where are we heading anyway?”

“It’s a small shop called Lit-tea-rature. It’s a bookstore and a café. My friend Nanaba works there as the manager and they actually have really delicious baked goods,” they said enthusiastically.

“The name is so dumb,” was Levi’s terse answer.

“Hey! don’t judge before you’ve even seen it, okay? We’re almost there.” Hanji kept pulling him in a direction he’d never went before even though he had lived in this area for several years now. They were right when they said that he didn’t go out often. “There it is. We’re here,” they said and finally let go of his arm.

Lit-tea-rature was bigger than he initially expected it to be. The shelves and counter were white and tall windows flooded the room with warm daylight. Levi liked it even though he would never admit it out loud to Hanji. “How about you go and take a look while I get us something to drink before we sit down?” they suggested.

“Yeah okay,” he said already turning around to inspect the shelves.

“Earl Grey?” they asked. Levi waved his hand in approval.

When Hanji went to the counter to place their order they were surprised to look into a pair of familiar eyes. “Oh, hey there,” they said with their usual cheery voice.

Eren wasn’t any less surprised to see them again. But now the tables were turned and they were at Eren’s work place. The boy realized that he was staring again. He did that a lot lately.

“Er-…H-Hi, welcome to Lit-tea-rature. May I take your order?” he sputtered the words he had learned by heart.

“No need to be so formal, sweetie. Don’t you remember me? We met at Trost a couple of days ago,” they said way louder than appropriate.

Eren’s face flushed red and he looked around to check if anybody had heard. Thankfully the few customers within hearing range seemed to ignore them. He leaned over the counter a little, so he could whisper: “No of course I remember you, but I didn’t expect _you_ to actually remember _me_.”

Hanji laughed at him, “Oh my, how could I possibly forget such a sweetheart like you? I didn’t know you were working here. I’ve never seen you before.”

Eren scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Actually this is only like my fourth shift.”

“Ah I see, then I’m sure we’re gonna see more of each other in the future. I love the éclairs here.”

“Would you like to order one then?”

“Actually, I’ll have two. I always inhale the first one without even realizing. And a chai latte please.”

“Sure, will that be all?” Eren asked after putting in their order.

Hanji hesitated for a moment. They said they would order for Levi as well, but they remembered how badly the boy in front of them wanted to meet Rivaille last week. A crazy looking grin formed on their lips when they answered, “You know what? Yeah, that would be all, thanks…,” their eyes moved down towards the name tag on his chest, “thanks Eren.”

“Er…you’re welcome. Your order is coming up in just a second,” he said, slightly confused by the insane looking expression on Hanji’s face.

~

Hanji had already finished their first éclair when Levi joined them at their table with a book under his arm.

“Where is my tea?” he asked after seeing that there was only one drink.

Hanji put on the most innocent look they could manage and spoke with a mouth full of half chewed éclair. “OH YEAH! Your tea! Yeah sorry I somehow forgot.”

The man scrunched his nose at their lack of table manners but didn’t say anything. It was futile anyway they had always been like that. “What do you mean you forgot? You literally asked me what I wanted when you went to order.”

“Oops, did I? Silly me, looks like you need to go order yourself. Sorry,” they shrugged and went back to shoving in the rest of their éclair.

“Tch whatever,” he said and made his way towards the counter.

~

Eren had seen Levi even before he joined Hanji at their table. He was just refilling the sugar casters and almost dropped the entire bag when he saw a certain black-haired man inspecting a book with his long, elegant fingers. He did hope that he would see him around someday, but he didn’t expect for that day to come this soon. He had to calm down and get his shit together. They had met twice and he’d made a fool of himself both times! That wouldn’t happen again. It would seem like a total coincidence for them to meet here and Eren was going to come across as cool and suave and not like he took this job just so he could afford to see Rivaille again. No, not at all. Act casual!

He didn’t act casual at all when Levi walked towards him. He tried to busy himself with something but ended up staring intently at the box of napkins in front of him. Why was he so weird when it came to the short man? It was almost painful.

“Hey I’d like to have—“ Levi wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings when he came to the counter but looking at the menu that hung at the wall above instead. So his words died out mid-sentence when he lowered his gaze to look into familiar emeralds. _Forgot my drink my ass, Hanji_.

“Um…hi,” Eren stammered. They stared at each other for several seconds and when the brunette realized that the man wasn’t going to say anything he continued, “Er…so you wanted to order something?”

The surprised look on Levi’s face was replaced by his usual indifferent expression. “Yeah, I’d like an Earl Grey please.”

“One Earl Grey coming right up.” When Eren turned away from the register to face Levi again, he saw him checking out the pastries of the day. “Would you like anything else?”

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

Eren began to meticulously prepare his tea, being extra careful so that no tea leaves would escape the ball strainer. “So, do you come here often?” he asked while he waited for the water to boil.

Levi eyed him warily. He had still not made up his mind about the boy yet so he wasn’t sure how much information he should give out. “No, I’ve never been here before.”

“Oh okay…What are you reading?” the boy asked with genuine curiosity while pointing at the book that was still clutched under his arm.

“It’s not mine. At least, not yet. I was just thinking about buying it.”

Eren heard the click that signaled that the kettle was ready but he ignored it. “Can I see?” He wondered what kind of book Rivaille would read. Fantasy? Thriller? Something about science?!

“Why not.”

The boy was excited to be able to learn a little bit more about the mysterious man in front of him. He took the book from him and read _The Book of Tea_ by Kakuzo Okakura. Before he could stop himself he laughed out loud which caused a deep scowl to appear on Levi’s face.

“What is it, brat?”

Still giggling, Eren answered: “Sorry it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect a book about tea.”

That didn’t appease Levi at all. “Why? What did you think I would be reading?”

“Um…I’m not sure maybe some guide about how to get away with murder?” he joked.

The raven arched one of his eyebrows. “And what makes you think I would need a guide for that?”

Eren laughed tensely at his deadpan expression. He was just joking…right?

“That was a joke. Calm down, brat, you look like you’re about to shit yourself.”

“Puh, thank god ‘cause that was almost more believable than the book about tea.”

“What do you have against tea?”

Eren raised his hands defensively and shook his head. “Nothing really, I just wouldn’t read a book about it I guess?”

“Tch, what do you read then?” Levi asked and Eren beamed at him. The older man was actually engaged in their conversation and asking him questions without his work obliging him to feign interest.

“Wait here! I’ll be right back, don’t go away,” he said, a little too excited and rushed to the back of the shop leaving Levi slightly dumbfounded. He would have left if it weren’t for his tea. The boy seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Eren came back only a few moments later with a battered paperback in his hands. “Here, try this. It’s one of my favourites,” he said and slid the book across the counter for Levi to take. The cover said _A Grim Reminder_ in bold, bloodred letters. It was the only book Eren had voluntarily read in the last few years and strictly speaking it was the light novel version of his favourite manga, but the older man didn’t need to know that. “It’s about men eating giants that bring humanity to the verge of extinction. And there’s this group called the scouting legion that are really brave and want to fight the giants and find their freedom.”

The brunette looked at Levi expectantly as the latter flipped through the pages. Some were marked with post-its and notes on the margins. “So it’s fantasy then.”

“Yes.” That wasn’t something Levi would typically read but he noticed that he had a hard time denying this boy anything when he stared into these eager looking seas of green.

“Well then I’ll give it a try. If it’s bad I’m gonna kick your ass,” he teased. “Do you have this on hand here?”

“Um, no I don’t think so but you can take mine? I don’t mind, you can give it back whenever you’re finished.”

“Are you sure? I can just simply order it online otherwise.”

“No, no, please take it!” he insisted.

“Thanks then,” he answered and looked at Eren. Levi was still frowning which seemed to be his default facial expression the boy noted. “My tea?”

“Oh yeah!” the brunette blushed when he realized that he had to boil the water again since it wasn’t hot enough anymore. So much for cool and suave.

Eren handed Levi the tray with a small tea pot and a nice vintage looking tea cup. “There you go.”

The man eyed the tray sceptically. “I didn’t order these,” he said and pointed at the small plate next to his cup.

“Yeah, these are cranberry-orange-shortbread cookies. They’re on the house,” he answered and smiled sheepishly. He bet that his face was flushed red again.

“Thanks,” the corner of his mouth moved slightly upwards when he lowered his voice, “Eren.” There it was again. The smooth and sultry bedroom voice that sent a shiver down his spine and made Eren feel dizzy. This asshole knew exactly what he was doing to him and he did it on purpose. Now he was definitely blushing.

~

Levi let his head hang low when he went back to Hanji’s table to hide his small smile. It was hilarious to see Eren’s reactions to the smallest of his actions. Teasing him was more fun than he’d liked to admit. Immediately Hanji’s words came to his mind.

_Live a little._

He shook his head. No way, that was only a brat, too innocent and naïve for his own good. Levi would only taint him.

“Took you long enough, shortcake.”

“Wouldn’t have if you’d have bought me my tea as promised,” he snapped back.

“But then you would have missed the cute barista. The one that is still staring at you right now by the way.” Hanji snickered but Levi didn’t look towards the counter to confirm their words. He didn’t need to. He could feel Eren’s eyes watching his every move.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said and took a sip from his tea. Hanji looked at him with both eyebrows raised.

“Don’t you remember that boy? You banged a few days ago. What did you two talk about then?!”

“He gave me this book,” he put said book on the table between them, “and we didn’t _bang_.”

They ignored the book completely instead they sounded puzzled when they said: “You didn’t what?!”

“I said we didn’t fuck. Are you deaf?”

“But what did you do then?! Chitchat?”

Levi took his time to answer and took another sip of his tea instead. He also tried a bite from the cookies which were surprisingly good. “Exactly.”

“You’re joking,” Hanji said. He had to be kidding right? That boy paid for a session with Levi just to talk? What was that, young adult fiction?

“No, shitty four-eyes. I don’t joke. His friends more or less forced him, and he didn’t want to fuck. Instead, he only wanted to talk to me.”

Hanji already had large eyes but now they’re opened so wide that he was afraid they would pop out of their sockets.

“Oh my gosh, how cute!!!”

Levi let out a heavy sigh. Of course they thought it was cute what else did he expect.

“No, he’s annoying,” Levi grunted and tried to put on an irritated glare but failed.

“Yeah sure, you sound convinced,” they giggled again.

Levi sighed and ignored Hanji’s insinuations. That brat was a nuisance. A nuisance with stunning eyes and a cute face but a nuisance none the less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really hard time deciding on what kind of book Levi would read ._.   
> So in the end, I went for a book about tea (which actually exists but I haven't read it)  
> It kinda sounds like something he would actually read but then again it also feels a little ooc. But better than a cleaning guide or something like that xD  
> Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

He liked _A Grim Reminder_ better than he had expected even though Levi usually didn’t read fantasy books. Not that he would ever admit it to the brat, but he somehow felt a strange sort of sympathy for the survey corps and their seemingly hopeless attempt to fight for humanity’s freedom. He didn’t know what he had expected from Eren’s comments on the margins, but they were less about the content of the book than he initially thought they would be. Most of them were stuff like “that’s different from the manga”, “show this to Connie” or just a plain “lol”. Levi was 100% sure now that he was definitely just a dumb brat.

It had only been 2 days since their encounter in Lit-tea-rature and the raven had already finished the book that now sat in his locker. It was well after 3 in the morning and he had a little time before he had to get ready for his last client of the night. When he pulled out a hoodie from his locker, he took a last look at the book and wondered when he should give it back to its owner. He had no idea when the boy would be working again, and he also wasn’t sure if he was ready to see him again. He knew that he wasn’t the sort of company that the kid was supposed to be around, but the brat didn’t seem like he would give up on trying to get to know him in near future. He had that determined gleam in his eyes whenever he talked to the shorter man, but Levi knew he should be the responsible adult and keep his distance. At least that’s what he told himself.

The door to the locker room behind him opened and Marlow walked in dressed in black shorts, a black vest and matching bunny ears. “Hey Rivaille, Hanji is looking for you,” he said before ripping off the cheap looking fake ears.

“Hn,” he hummed in confirmation. The staff of Trost was mostly nice but he still preferred to keep to himself. He wasn’t a very social individual anyways and the others seemed to sense that. Hitch had tried to coax him into going out with her and her friends a few times since he was _hot and would get loads of free drinks for sure_ but he brushed her off every time and at some point she learned that he had no interest in being friends with her at all whatsoever. He spent as little time as necessary with his co-workers outside of the monthly karaoke nights Hanji always force him participate in. Levi’s idea of participating being sitting in a corner and scowling for as long as it would take for the shitty glasses to get too drunk to notice that he had left.

He closed his locker and nodded politely towards Marlow before he turned and left the room. It was never a good sign when Hanji was looking for him during his shifts. Most of the time it meant more work for Levi even though his shift today was fucking exhausting enough already. He had sessions nonstop since he started around 10pm. He didn’t even have time for a cigarette between his showers and the next clients. He really needed this break.

He ran into Hanji in the hallway halfway to the bar. They were wearing their mad scientist expression on their face which evoked the urge in Levi to immediately double back and run. That expression never meant anything good. But he fought the urge. They would certainly chase after him. No point in running.

“Oh Le-hee-vi,” they sang as they came closer. They stopped right in front of him, the tips of their shoes were almost touching which was way too close for Levi’s taste but apparently Hanji never learned about personal space. Sadly, Levi was used to it. The creepy grin hadn’t left their face.

“What do you want, four eyes?” he asked with a sigh, “I have my break now.”

Ignoring his words, Hanji put their hands on both of Levi’s shoulders moving so close that their noses almost touch. The man tried to lean back but their iron grip held him in place, “He is here.”

Levi had no idea what they were talking about. Who was where? If they were talking about his last client, then there was no way he would see him before he didn’t smoke at least 3 cigarettes. “Jesus Christ, calm down Hanji. Who are you even talking about?”

Ignoring him again, the brunette grabbed one of his wrists and pulled them along towards the front of the building where the bar was located. “He’s been here a few hours now and asked for you. He already paid and I added another session in your schedule after the last I hope you don’t mind,” they babbled not caring about his irritated expression.

Oh he did mind. What the fuck was Hanji thinking, taking clients without asking him beforehand?! Before he could start ranting, they left the corridor and entered the bar area. That’s when Levi caught sight of a familiar looking mess of long chocolate brown strands pulled back into a half bun. Eren was seated at the very corner of the bar head resting on his folded arms.

After Hanji released their grip around his wrist they went back to their reception table but not without giving him one last meaningful wink. What a pain.

When Levi moved closer to the figure sprawled across the countertop, he noticed that the brat was in fact sleeping. The older man scoffed at the image in front of him. How could someone just fall asleep in such a place? Taking a closer look, he saw that the boy’s features were relaxed and his long, dark lashes cast shadows over his rosy cheeks. He might have been beautiful if he wasn’t quietly snoring and drooling open mouthed all over the place like an idiot. He couldn’t believe that he was actually here again. Paying a hefty sum to spend even more time with Levi.

“Wake up, you dumbass,” he said earning a curious side eye from Mike but no reaction from Eren. “Oi kid!” he tried again but louder this time and it worked. He brunette sat up abruptly and looked around for a second as if he forgot where he was.

“Oh hey,” he mumbled and reflexively brought the sleeve of his dark blue sweater to his mouth and cheek to wipe off the cooling drool which caused Levi to internally cringe. The raven reached over the counter to grab some napkins from behind the bar and handed them to Eren wordlessly. The tips of his ears were tinted in a deep red when he took them and wiped away the small puddle in front of him. “Thanks,” he mumbled quietly.

“Oi brat, are you stalking me?”

That comment made Eren look up immediately, searching the man’s face for any hint of a joke but his expression was unreadable. “What? No, of course not—no I—I just…,” he stammered.

An exasperated sigh left Levi’s lips but when he spoke his voice was soft, “What are you doing here, Eren?”

The brunette felt his neck tingling a little. He still wasn’t used to hear that deep, sultry voice saying his name and he wasn’t sure if he ever would be. Even when the shorter man wasn’t trying to tease him and kept his voice normal, it still made him feel warm inside. “I felt bad for making fun of your taste in books back at Lit-tea-rature. So, I’m here to apologize and give you this,” he said with an apologetic look as he reached for a beige paper bag on the bench behind his back. The name of Eren’s workplace was written on it in dark cursive letters. “And you said you’d kick my ass if _A Grim Reminder_ was bad so I’m also here to save my butt,” he tried to joke but his laughter seemed forced.

“And to do that you needed to buy another session?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. The boy didn’t seem to have an answer to that but only kept his arm with the paper bag outstretched waiting for Levi to take it. The older man allowed his facial features to grow a little softer when he took the bag from the Eren’s tense grip. Maybe he was a bit too harsh on the brunette. He did nothing wrong after all. Levi just wasn’t used to this kind of persistent attention. When he looked inside the bag, he saw the familiar cover of The Book of Tea. Next to it laid a small transparent foil pack with something that looked very much like madeleines. A small sigh escaped Levi’s lips before he said, “You didn’t have to do this, Eren. I can give you the money back.”

Immediately, the boy raised both his hands defensively in front of his chest and shook his head, “No, no, no it’s a present. I wanted you to have it. The madeleines were freshly made earlier today I thought you might like them.”

The frown found its way back to Levi’s forehead. “You still go to school, there are certainly other things you should be spending your money on. You don’t need to buy me presents.”

Eren only shook his head even more vehemently. “It’s really nothing, don’t worry. I get an employee discount at Lit-tea-rature so—well but it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have bought it for you if I had to pay the full price ‘cause I still definitely would have. It‘s just—‘cause you, no I—It’s really not a big deal so…you know what? I will shut up now,” he babbled and Levi didn’t fight the small rise of the corner of his lips. 

The raven noticed a movement in his peripheral field of view. Hanji had moved behind the bar, pretending to read the menu but they were obviously eavesdropping. “If you’re pretending to read then at least hold the thing right way up, shitty four eyes,” he said loud enough for them to hear.

They gasped and acted as if they were offended by what he just said. “Who, me? I’m not pretending to do anything. I’m just challenging my brain!”

“You can’t challenge something that’s not there,” Levi snorted which only caused them to chuckle. They knew that he was only joking in his own weird way.

“Aren’t you just a charming one again today, shortcake?”

A quiet giggle drew both their attention back to their guest. “Shortcake?” he asked incredulously. Levi’s eyebrow twitched. He would kill Hanji.

“Exactly! Shortcake ‘cause he’s such a short cutie and did you see that cake?!” they proclaimed triumphantly while they leaned over the counter of the bar and gave his denim cladded ass a loud slap that even made Levi wince. He spun around with an annoyed grunt and tried to grab and strangle that lunatic he called a friend but they were already prepared and retreated behind Mike’s tall frame while laughing like a maniac. The blonde ignored them and just kept cutting lemons. Maybe Levi could grab his knife and— No, not a good idea. There were too many witnesses, so he just threw Hanji one last death glare before he turned back around to Eren. Eren who was currently very shamelessly staring at his ass with a deep blush over his cheeks. “Oi brat, eyes are up here.”

The dreamy daze on his face switched to panic. “What no, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—I…”

“Thanks for the book then,” he said tersely but his tone was soft, “Actually…you don’t need to buy sessions to talk to me. Better save up that money for something that’s worth it, kid.” _‘Cause I am not_. Levi turned his head over his shoulder and looked at Hanji again. “Give him a refund. I’m not working overtime today.”

“But—,” before Eren could protest the front door opened and hit the wall with a loud bang. A tall, bulky man stepped in and immediately caught sight of Levi at the bar.

“Yooo Rivaille!” he roared. Levi’s last client for the night had arrived. He called himself Brock and was one of the less pleasant regulars. Arrogant, rough and almost violent when he drank too much. He would always leave bruises on his skin that were still visible several days later.

Levi put back on his indifferent mask before he said to Eren, “You should go home, it’s late. Thanks again for the book. See you later, Eren.” Without waiting for an answer, he walked towards his next client.

Eren heard Levi say, “The usual room. I’ll be there for you in a few.” Before they both disappeared in the dark corridor next to the bar.

~

Levi’s ass still burned and both his wrists were chafed when he put on his dark blue button down. He couldn’t wait to get home, maybe cuddle up with Heichou and get a good night of sleep. He hoped Brock wouldn’t book another session anytime soon. If it wasn’t for his generous tips Levi would have already kicked him off of his client list.

The beige paper bag in his locker got a little crumpled by his boots but when he looked inside, both, book and madeleines were still intact. He thought back to the drooling mess that laid on the counter of the bar a little while ago. He felt a little bad for sending Eren home without a proper thank you after he waited for him for hours and even brought him a present. Maybe he should go back to Lit-tea-rature soon and leave a big tip for him even though that felt somewhat impersonal.

It was around 5 am when Levi left Trost with the small paper bag in his hand. Fortunately, he didn’t encounter Hanji on his way out. The last thing he needed now was his crazy friend to enthuse about how cute Levi’s new, young suitor was. He would hear enough about that over the next few days.

On his way to his motorbike, Levi noticed a familiar looking form crouched on the side of the parking lot. “Eren?!” he asked, his voice not nearly as surprised and confused as he felt internally. The bundle consisting of long limbs stirred at his voice. The brunette had his arms wrapped around his knees and his head was buried between them but he looked up now and his sleepy eyes met Levi’s. “What the fuck are you doing out here?! It’s 5 in the morning for god’s sake.” Levi moved closer and heard Eren’s knees crackle when he stood up and winced. Did he wait outside in the cold for over an hour?

“I was about to leave but then I wasn’t sure what you exactly meant with _See you later_. Later as in whenever we run in each other again or later as in now…So I waited,” he admitted and scratched the back of his neck which only messed up his hair even more.

“You know you don’t need to convince me that you’re a brat. I believe you,” he teased and earned an adorable pout from Eren. “C’mon kid. I’ll give you a ride. I don’t think there are any buses running at this time night.”

Eren looked eager to spend more time with the shorter man. “You have a car?” he asked curiously.

“No, better,” Levi answered with a smirk and walked back towards his bike followed by the brunette. He easily swung one leg over his motorcycle despite his tight skinny jeans and looked at Eren expectantly. The boy allowed himself to admire the bike for a moment before he turned his worried glance back to Levi.

“I don’t wanna cause you any trouble. I bet you had a long day and I can just walk home if—“ but before he could finish speaking he was cut off by the other man.

“Brat, this isn’t exactly a place where you should be roaming around at night and I don’t want to feel guilty if you get kidnapped or mugged. So, if you’re not behind me within the next 3 seconds, I _will_ get you there myself,” he knew that it sounded slightly dirty and judging from Eren’s blush he noticed it too, but he followed his order, climbing onto the bike and settling behind him. Levi handed him the paper bag. “Here, hold that for me.”

Eren took the bag and suddenly his stomach made a loud rumbling sound. Oops, yeah it had been 9 hours since he had dinner. He hoped Levi hadn’t heard. “I live close to the campus in west Shiganshina,” he explained.

Levi gave him a nod. “Hold on, brat.” Eren cautiously wrapped both his arms around his waist, paper bag still in one hand. “Tighter, if you don’t want to fall off.” The brunette could feel his heartbeat in his throat when he hugged the man in front of him with a little more force. Levi felt the heat that was radiating off of Eren’s chest and burning into his back but, he was still not close enough. The boy seemed to underestimate his driving skills. With an exasperated sigh he grabbed both of Eren’s wrists and pulled him tighter around his waist. He was almost close enough now for Levi to feel his racing heartbeat. “Hold on,” he said quietly. Levi could feel Eren’s cheek rubbing against his shoulder when he nodded.

Without wasting anymore time the raven raced out of the parking lot and into the dark night.

“Er…Rivaille, the campus is in the other direction,” he shouted against the wind. His grip tightened reflexively when the man went even faster.

“I know. We’re getting breakfast first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for posting late but I hope you liked the chapter anyway!  
> I feel like I managed to write 3K words without much happening, I'm sorry xD 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are deeply appreciated!


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